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And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.
Genesis 31:55 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Early in the morning, Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place.
  • BSB Early the next morning, Laban got up and kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then he left to return home.
  • NKJV And early in the morning Laban arose, and kissed his sons and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
  • NASB Then early in the morning Laban got up, and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
  • NLT Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Laban rises early, blesses and kisses his daughters and grandchildren, and returns home. The long, tangled relationship between Jacob and Laban ends in peace.

Overview

With the covenant complete, Laban departs after a final affectionate farewell, and he disappears from the narrative. His exit closes the chapter of Jacob's exile in Paddan-Aram. God has brought Jacob safely through twenty years of conflict, fulfilling His promise to be with him and bring him back.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 17

  • Gen 31:28And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my daughters? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing.
  • Gen 30:25And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.
  • Deut 23:5Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
  • Gen 18:33And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
  • Gen 33:4And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
  • Prov 16:7When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
  • Gen 31:43And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
  • Acts 28:4–5And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
  • Ruth 1:14And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
  • Ps 76:10Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
  • Num 23:8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?
  • Num 24:25And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
  • Gen 28:1And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
  • Num 23:11And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
  • Deut 32:36For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
  • Num 23:5And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
  • Gen 24:60And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 31:55YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 31:55 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.